No, I Haven’t Been Kidnapped
21 Mar
Just a quick update:
- I have left Yemen, my limbs are intact.
- I had a wonderful time in that country and I will go back again.
- Is it courting danger? No — I firmly believe the violence is sporadic and unplanned and could happen to any city/country at any time; and if you boycott an entire country because of this, then the terrorists win.
- My time in Yemen was made possible by the lovely Ziad, who was also responsible for making sure I’m alive. He did a fine job, and I highly recommend this man who knows and loves his country at the back of his hand.
- I had the rare opportunity to live in a Yemeni home and to share their lives, food, and bathrooms with them. It was such an honour to come close to unveiled woman, an erstwhile unseen sight out in the streets, and to have been able to enjoy their home cooking and hospitality. That included the impromptu “dress Adri up” session which saw some hysterical local women (who speak only Arabic) putting flowers in my hair, henna on my body, lipstick, and dressing me up in… dresses. Yes, dresses. Scarves, jewellery, and such.
- Every single Yemeni person I have met has been unbelievably hospitable. There are friendly people, and then there are the Yemenis. There is no reason to fear this country. In fact, they are as pissed off as you are about the terrorists.
- I’ve since left the country, am now in Dubai, and some hours from now shall be in London, which I’ve missed. I’m leaving Dubai, where I have lived in for the past couple of months, for good and will cease to reside in the United Arab Emirates.
- For the thousands of new readers, newly arrived from the Malaysian blogfather: hello, and please continue leaving comments, writing me those nice emails, and also please check out my other site, a site featuring videos from my travels. When I get a bit more time to breathe I will respond to your emails.
- Existing Fortylove.tv fans (all 3 of you): sorry for slight hiatus in programming, the recent Yemeni sojourn has thrown off our schedule by just a bit. We’ll catch up with the posting as soon as we can. Upcoming episodes: a Sudanese spoken word poet, a primer to south Indian cinema (on the set with a Kannada movie dance sequence), a day at the camel races, a naked flashmob in London, and more. We’re launching some contests shortly, so join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter, check out our site, subscribe to our show on iTunes and other newsreaders.
- That’s it — bye Dubai, hello London! (One day I will find a good explanation for my family on why coming home necessitates going the long way around, via London)
